Parks and Recreation came back last night and put a smile on my face for a full hour. I loved Future!Ben being burned in effigy and being able to say only a few scenes later that he's finally in the professional situation that makes him happy. I loved Ben and Tom weeping over Tom's toast. I loved April freaking out about being comfortable in a stable adult lifestyle. I loved Leslie's comfort and pride in directing the work of 1200 people with vision and dedication. I loved Leslie and Ron putting aside their differences to help Jamm, I loved Leslie making war cookies, I loved how Leslie and Ron's inevitable differences clearly don't affect their love and respect for each other. I superloved Very Good Builders.
And I loved how the time jump was used to take these relationship moments, which the show had already earned, and make them feel even more earned. That Tom and Ben aren't two guys who have been supporting each others' growth for two years, they're people who have been supporting each other for five years, and it's clear that the missing three years deepened their friendship, but it's also clear that the show laid the foundation for the jump ahead of time. The time jump wasn't a swerve, it recorded an evolution.
And the Terry joke actually paid out, which I never expected. They've actually made progress over the years in explaining how Gary/Jerry/Larry/Terry finds satisfaction in his life even when everyone else thinks he's a punchline, that he doesn't mind being called Terry because he genuinely likes his work and he genuinely likes his coworkers. It's one of Parks's most meanspirited jokes, and yet it doesn't really seem mean anymore.
And what else... Joan was fucking brilliant. Tammy was horrifying. Lucy was cute. Jamm was used brilliantly. Ken Hotate's response to Leslie's money begging was perfect. The writers just hit all the notes well. If you're not watching Parks and Recreation, I seriously don't know why.
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